Arcane Thesis
by strangebloke
Summary: What if Waver Velvet had participated in the fifth grail war as he intended?
1. Prologue, Author's Note

Nasuverse belongs to Nasu and type moon, not me. This is a project for fun and I receive no profit from it.

*-!~

* * *

"Ah! My elusive master returns at last." The giant sat up straight from where he was hunched up on the floor, surrounded by a pile of books, snacks, and video games.

"I didn't want to speak at length before you were up to speed." The lecturer of the clocktower replied, loosening his dark red scarf. ""I trust that my spell was successful?"

The giant relaxed into a slump at the base of the couch and smile. "Yes, yes. A curious and useful spell, that was. It is strange to see things one did, but cannot remember doing, especially when viewed from the perspective of another." He rubbed his chin pensively. "No, the only way to make sense of it is to think of this Rider, your Rider, as another person, distinct from myself." He chuckled. "That certainly makes the pain of failure less keen."

A wry smile touched the lips of the Clocktower lecturer as he put away his things. "I know better than to think that you are expressing regret, Rider."

The giant closed his eyes and frowned thoughtfully. "I see that you were listening to the other me at least somewhat. Ha! Even if that other me failed, he at least succeeded in gaining a loyal retainer, yes?"

"Correct. However, I am not the boy who thought to win the grail war, and you are not the king to which that boy swore an oath of fealty." The lecturer's voice had grown tight, but he let out a sigh and released it, smiling. "The oath of fealty that I have sworn to you now is a separate matter entirely. I suppose you will say that your inability to remember the last war is a cause for rejoicing, since we get to experience the joy of meeting again."

"Of course!" The giant's laugh rolled like water. "I only bring up that old oath because I question why you should involve yourself in this war again. You were commanded by your king to live! It seems that you survived the last war only by the mercy of the King of Heroes, and now you are needlessly endangering yourself. To be clear, I am hardly complaining, but in addition to everything else, you're not even sure that this grail will work."

Silence prevailed for a moment as the lecturer simply stood there, staring. "Well, I did want to see you again." The statement was delivered almost in a resigned, embarrassed manner. "But truly? I despise this ritual. I intend to obtain the grail for my king, extract every scrap of knowledge I can from it, and then destroy the grail permanently."

* * *

A/N: Some quick notes: Waver's character has grown and changed a lot since Fate/Zero. His representation here is largely based off of his portrayal in the first _El Melloi_ _Case Files_ light novel. There's another character from that series named Gray who will be appearing in this fic. I will do work to introduce her as though she were an OC... but she isn't.

So you shouldn't need any knowledge of EM case files to appreciate this work. If you do want more info, I'd highly recommend you read the first (and only) EM case files book that has been translated, but if you're impatient and want some free spoilers, I have written up a little summary of Waver and Gray's characters. You can find it if you copy and paste the following, replacing (dotcom) with the obvious: ' spacebattles(dotcom)/posts/40255013/'.


	2. Chapter 1: A Short Lecture

CHAPTER 1:

* * *

 _"The specter that has haunted magecraft, practically since its inception, has been the ever approaching threat of stagnation. It is certainly true that entire fields of the craft have become almost impossible in recent centuries. You could argue with some force that ultimately, magecraft will fade into meaninglessness and that any attempt to escape this destiny is mere vanity. If you are one who would argue in such away, let me tell you now: you are a pathetic creature barely worthy to be called a magus. Magi, by definition, are a class of being whose sole purpose is to pursue the unattainable, to achieve the impossible."_

* * *

"Master, wake up." The voice was flat and toneless. Waver cracked an eye open from his position on the sofa and frowned.

"Master, wake up." The voice was accompanied now by a slight poke.

Waver sighed heavily and sat up. He had been up too late again, but what else could be expected? There was much to do, and he had only a few weeks before the Grail War started properly. He suppressed a yawn. At least he had managed to find an apartment that had a sofa. "Gray, what time is it?"

"You have half an hour before you miss the bus." Waver met with Gray's vibrant green eyes and winced. "I can't wear the hood to school, master." Gray stated apologetically.

Of course she wouldn't be able to wear the hood while they were doing reconnaissance. He should have expected that. Japanese schools had uniforms, after all, and a hood wasn't something they let you wear in a normal school anyway. He fumbled for his cigar case. "Sorry for the short notice. When did you get in?"

"Late last night. I noted that you had already keyed me into the bounded field so I let myself in." She paused. "The bed was empty so I slept there. I take it that the large man on the futon is your servant?"

Waver cut off the end of a cigar and lit it. "Correct." He pulled in a breath of smoke and then exhaled slowly. "Well, technically he's our servant. I have the command seals, but you're ponying up more mana for him than I am."

Gray simply nodded. Waver regarded her for a long moment. "You should meet him before we head out. Let's go take care of that now."

"Master..." She frowned. "Don't you need to..."

"I slept in my clothes, and I'll smell like cigars whether or not I get a shower in. This is more important." He crossed the room and pushed the door open. "Rider. You wanted to meet the other master, right?"

Rider, who was dressed only in his boxers and a t-shirt, was already sitting up straight. "I heard her come in last night. All things considered I thought it better to wait until morning for introductions."

Gray bowed stiffly. "I am Gray, co-master with Lord El Melloi II." She paused awkwardly. "Lord El Melloi II is my master, though. That is to say, I'm his disciple."

Waver nodded. "She's your master, I'm hers, and you're mine. We should all be able to get along famously."

"A clear hierarchy is essential to victory." Rider replied amiably. "So tell me, Master, what is the wish you have for the Grail?"

Gray frowned. "I don't have one. I wanted… to change, I suppose. I've been doing one thing for my whole life." She shrugged. "This is different, so I volunteered to assist my Master."

"Foolish! If it is a change that you want, take up a hobby! To wage war for so small a reason… Surely there is more you desire?"

Gray swallowed, blushing a little. She was conscious of deeper yearnings, but... "There's nothing that I'd care to be given by the grail."

Now Rider's face split into a smile. "Now there is an attitude I can get behind! Whatever your dreams are, I am glad to hear that they are so precious to you." He paused and regarded her more closely. "Waver, she does..."

"Yes, the resemblance is strong, and I don't mean just in terms of appearance. There's a connection there, but I'm not quite sure what it is." Waver frowned. "Suffice to say that she's exceptionally suited for a grail war." He paused. "It goes without saying, but I trust her with my life."

Gray was not going to argue with his assessment of her abilities. Lord El Melloi II was almost always right about this sort of thing. Nonetheless, it seemed to her that he had glossed over some important details. "I feel the need to add that as a magus, I'm not very capable."

Waver sent her a sidelong glare. "Oy, quit saying things like that, Gray. It's bad form to act all humble when you're a better magus than I am."

Gray didn't have a reply. She couldn't disagree with him. In terms of mana and circuits she far outclassed him. However, given how unskilled she was, it seemed like the height of arrogance to claim herself as the superior of Lord El Melloi II.

Waver sighed and picked up his briefcase. "Come on Gray, let's get to the bus stop. Rider, is there anything you require before I go?"

"On the contrary, I am very well-supplied, with both information and comfort. Your king is most satisfied with your preparations." He chuckled. "I have more than enough to occupy me."

Waver smiled quietly. He hoped that his king's optimism was well-founded. For the moment, however… He had a job to do.

~!-*~

* * *

The Lecturer was well aware of his own limitations. He possessed neither exceptional mana, nor a spectacular crest, nor a particularly interesting Origin. He did, however, possess one extraordinarily rare quality that had allowed him to leap ahead of many of the older families. He cared nothing for his pride or reputation. He was not too proud to turn up his nose at a promising pupil who had a disgraceful past. He wouldn't turn away from a branch of research out of fear of failure. He was not so full of his family honor that he was afraid to ask for help.

He sighed.

He was also, apparently, not too proud to take on a job as an educator of normal, uninteresting, Japanese highschoolers.

"My name is Mr. Samite, and I will be your lecturer for this class while your usual teacher, Mr. Saito is away on vacation. Some of you just misheard me now. Some of you heard that I am your teacher. Some of you heard that I am to be your mentor for your time here. Some of you, in fact, heard me just say that I am to be your surrogate parent for as long as you're enrolled here. No. I am your lecturer. I will present information in a format that is easy to understand, and you will attempt to comprehend it. I will evaluate the extent to which you are successful in comprehending the information. This will be the extent of our relationship."

He did not anticipate that the students would give him much trouble. He did not have the fearsome reputation here that he did at the Clocktower, but normal brats were nothing for him to control when compared with the pedigreed pricks to which he was accustomed.

Now, if only he could convince himself that it was worth it.


	3. Chapter 2: The Dangers of Highschool

I own nothing. Fate and all its related shtick belong to Type Moon and the associated creators.

CHAPTER 2:

* * *

 _"_ _The fundamental error that the Goldenbergs encountered in this endeavor was that they forgot the first and most important rule of magecraft. I see that some of you are eagerly hoping that I will ask you to tell me what that first rule is. I can already hear your answers. 'od,' you will say, or 'knowledge.' But in the study of magecraft, these lessons come later. The first rule of magecraft is, and always has been, pain. And no, I do not mean physical pain, although that is an old friend to everyone who has studied the art. I mean pain, all-inclusive. The pain to study for days without sleep, to trade your health for your craft, to lose loved ones as you grow distant from your own humanity… THAT is the substance of magecraft, and if you forsake that, if you attempt to circumvent pain and struggle, you can only fail."_

* * *

Gray walked through the halls of Homurahara academy like someone in a dream. There were simply too many people around for her even to process them all. So many wanted to introduce themselves, hold conversation with her; she couldn't simply tune them out like in London. Even without her reclusive nature, talking at all would have been a struggle. She had only had a few months to learn the language, which probably would have been enough for Master or some genius, but as it stood she was struggling to get by at all.

Nonetheless, she had volunteered for this task. In fact, she had volunteered for this in part because she knew that it would force her to meet more people. And her master was not far away, in any case.

The place smelled of disinfectant and perfume and sweat. There was something else, too, tingling in the air at the edge of her senses, so fleeting and complex that she was finding it hard to focus on the lessons, or even on the people around her. Gray clenched her notebook more tightly as she walked down the hall. She was only going to be here at the school for this one day. Couldn't she focus even for that long?

That strange, tingling sensation flitted through the air again. Her sixth sense was strong, to the point that it nearly debilitated her in areas of potent magical energy. Master had theorized that it was a product of her prolonged exposure to spirits during her upbringing. Normally, such a faint tincture of energy as she sensed now would have been disregarded completely, and yet… she could not let go of it.

Gray felt pretty confident that if Tohsaka or Matou found her snooping around like this, she would be in a lot of trouble. The story that Master had supplied her with was that she had just moved to Fuyuki and was trying out Homurahara and a few other area schools; there was no rational explanation for why she should be up here during her lunchtime beyond 'I got lost.'

She made a quick turn down hallway. It wasn't difficult to follow the sensation, now that it was lunch and she had some time to track it down. Another turn to the right, no… that had been wrong. She needed to find some stairs. Two floors up? No, only one. More walking.

She had found it. There was a plain, bespectacled boy, perhaps two years older than her, standing in front of doorway. Was he the source of the sensation? No. It was behind him. She moved toward the doorway. The boy caught sight of her, and his eyes went wide.

"Hey. HEY. Stop _, _ are you?" The boy barred her way, his stance ready for a fight. Gray froze, uncertain of how to proceed.

"My name is Gray. I..." What was the Japanese word for lost? She should know this, or rather, she did know this.

"Are you _ _?" The boy seemed disturbed; he was speaking too rapidly. Gray frowned and narrowed her eyes in concentration. When she didn't reply, he seemed to get even more agitated. This was a stupid situation. She either needed to push past him or drop it. It wouldn't be hard, but it would be risky. An incident was the sort of thing that Tohsaka, for example, might remember. And yet… whatever than weird colored aura was, it was coming from here.

The school bell rang, informing everyone that they had five minutes to get to class. Within moments this hallway would no doubt be filled with students. Gray grit her teeth, thinking what she could say to make this boy stop blocking her way. "I seek thing." She stated. "I seek..."

Her voice trailed off there, because then he came into the room. He was fit, red-haired, perhaps two years older than her, and… and… he was not alive. He could not be alive his every motion was grinding and sparking and popping, and…

Gray ground her teeth together and drew on her training in defensive meditation. She refused to collapse here. She would not blow her master's cover. She would not… The strange boy had already left.

* * *

Lord El Melloi II slumped into the ancient recliner in the teachers' lounge and immediately relit his cigar. At this point, lecturing required no conscious effort, even when the topic was something that he found as tedious as the topic of English grammar. This break in schedule offered him relief from tedium more than anything. The only actual point of interest here were his targets - the Matous and Tohsaka - and he had only seen one of them so far. He pulled on his cigar thoughtlessly.

The female teachers sitting in the corner giggled. He glanced over at them, just in time to see them immediately look away. He grimaced and focused his attentions on the cigar, rolling it between his fingers and contemplating the release of the smoke. The physical ritual of smoking was a kind of zen for him at times like these.

"WAVER VELVET!" The shout caused him to swallow his cigar, and he looked up into a pair of furiously happy brown eyes. Brown eyes, he noted that were set in a the face of a woman he recognized. Lord El Melloi II swallowed.

A fist hammered into his ribcage. and he let out a gasp of air. "I knew I recognized you from somewhere!" the lady shouted in triumph. "Everyone was saying 'who is that attractive foreign English teacher? Where did he come from?'" The fist nailed him again and he felt his stomach heave. The lady continued, heedless of his distress. "I knew that I, Fujimura Taiga, had the answers to those questions, but I could not bring them to mind. 'Perhaps we were lovers in a past life?' I thought. But you're Waver Velvet, the boy who helped me chase down those thieves that stole the wine." Finally, she punched her fist into her palm and let out an exultant cheer. "I am the first to decipher the mysterious foreigner. I, Taiga, declare victory."

Lord El Melloi II used this moment of respite to contemplate his means of escape. He couldn't hypnotize her here - there were too many witnesses, and if he used magecraft at this school his cover was as good as blown. He doubted that he could get to the door with Taiga leaning over him the way that she was. Fighting her was out of the question, if the force of those 'playful' punches had been any indication of her combat ability.

So, then, he was left with only one palatable option: to bluff like hell. "Excuse me, miss," He choked out. "I'm afraid that my Japanese isn't very good. I think you've mistaken me for someone else? My name is Samite."

Taiga's face darkened suddenly. "Oh!" She cried. "That can't be right. You're that funny British boy I met with the tall red-haired friend who was, uh.." Her face grew very red.

"Please, I have no idea what you're talking about." He continued calmly. "My name is John Samite. I'm the substitute for Mr. Saito for the next few days."

She slumped into the chair next to him. "Fate is not kind to me. I may as well die. "

It had been a weird little chain of events that had led to his encounter with Taiga during the last grail war. Amongst all of the insanity of those short weeks, the incident seemed hardly worth remembering. She had been a teenager then, perhaps five years younger than him, and when Rider had 'plundered' a liquor store, she had given chase. Throwing her off their trail had been, of course, trivial. Nonetheless, for reasons he could not recall, Rider had insisted that they played along with her 'investigation' for several hours. In the end he'd sent a few barrels of wine to replace the one they had stolen, and he'd thought the whole affair to be concluded.

She was still curled up in the next chair, blushing furiously and muttering to herself. Waver sighed. "You're one of the other English teachers here, right?" He recalled her being excessively talkative and trusting. Maybe she'd have some useful information.

She jolted back into a sitting position and then leaned against the arm of the chair in a manner that Waver assumed was intended to be seductive. "Oh, yes, I've always thought that communication was important. It's really a tragic thing that language divides the world so, don't you think?" A misty look came into her eyes. "If only we could all find a way to live in harmony with each other."

"Ah, yes. But I was wondering, you know..." He sighed internally. "What is the local gossip around Homurahara Academy these days?" He could hardly think of a more transparent plea for information, and yet, with such a woman...

"Ooh!" She squeaked. "I see the sort of man you are. You're the sort that likes drama and local politics. Me, I don't go in for that at all." She turned, staring off into the middle distance with (it could only be assumed) thoughts of great virtue passing through her head. Suddenly she crouched down next to him and was whispering in his ear. "You and that foreign exchange student are all that anyone is gossiping about these days anyway. Have you seen her? The girl looks like something that crawled out of the spirit world to eat our souls." Waver sighed.

"She's got odd hair and eye coloration, sure, but as a British person myself, I have to say I don't find her appearance that alarming." He paused. He'd have to steer her onto relevant topics, that much was obvious. "One of my students this morning had natural purple hair."

"Pff, that's just Sakura." Taiga dismissed him. "Lot's of people have purple hair. Her brother's hair is practically blue! This foreign girl though-"

Waver grit his teeth. This was going to be no simple matter.

* * *

"To be clear," Waver noted, "I'm not upset with you."

Gray trailed behind him a few feet as he walked through the darkened hallway of the school. "I just hope that none of the masters noted my… episode."

"I'd be surprised if they did pick up on it, and it only matters for the next few days, anyway. We're not going to be attending school when things really get going." Waver crouched and pulled the eyedropper from his suitcoat pocket, dropping tiny beads of water at points along the floor. "You might have stumbled onto something more important here."

Gray did not reply, but simply watched her master at work. The beads of water he had dropped on the floor glowed a dull orange color for a few moments, and then darkened.

"There are seven masters after all, and we only know the identity of six of them." Waver continued. "Or, well, I suppose it is more proper to say that we know where six of the masters are coming from. There's us, two masters from the association, and three are from the founding families. It is fair to assume that all of the standard magi involved in this war will learn each other's identities fairly quickly and be prepared. For example, I already anticipate that Bazzet Fraga McRemitz will be the most dangerous master in this grail war, and I have researched her capabilities extensively. Conversely, her allies at the Clocktower will inform her shortly about how I'm spending my sabbatical, and she'll know all of my weaknesses." He smiled wryly at that. "The wildcard, though, the seventh master, he can really throw a wrench into our preparations if we're not careful. Wildcards tend to be magi or potential magi from the general area of Fuyuki who have a desire for the grail. With Japan being a backwater, well. Let's just say that if there's a magus living in Fuyuki that no one knows about, he's a good pick for the wildcard." They came to the doorway where Gray had encountered the strange… person earlier in the day.

After a few minutes of testing, Waver rose and frowned. "Well, there was magecraft performed here, but nothing particularly interesting." He turned to Gray. "You could identify him if you saw him?"

Gray nodded. The boy had red hair.

A few minutes later they had broken into the principal's office, unlocked his computer (the principal had been hypnotized into giving Waver his admin password the day before) and pulled up the student roster.

Gray searched the faces for the strange boy. If not for his distinctive hair, she did not know that she would be able to identify him. The impression of him had been so much more memorable than the details of his face. "There." She announced. "That's the boy who shouldn't be alive."

Wave took a step back from the computer. "Gray." His voice was deeply serious. "Are you absolutely sure?"

Gray frowned, but nodded nonetheless.

Waver fetched a cigar from his coat pocket, lit it, and took a very, very long drag from it. "We're heading back now, Gray." He removed his cigar and glared at the screen for a moment. "Emiya is involved. We need to rethink everything."


	4. Chapter 3: Responsibilty

CHAPTER 3:

* * *

 _"Are magi human? Some of you may snark that if we are speaking as magi, 'humanity' is a strictly technical descriptor that that neither excludes nor is required by the descriptor of 'magus.' But the deeper question that is being reached for in the question 'are magi human?' is the question 'Should magi behave like humans?' To be human is to think like a human, care about the things humans care about, indeed, to fulfill the responsibility of a member of the human race. In this sense, it is possible to say that even a Dead Apostle, an anti-human in terms of species, behaves in a human manner."_

 _"'Are magi human?' This is a question of ethics. Do magi have responsibility to their fellow humans, their fellow magi… or only to their own family? The answer, of course, depends on who you ask."_

* * *

They made it as far as the front of the school. Waver was not running, but Gray needed to jog to keep up with him nonetheless.

Something flared in Gray's senses, and she moved on pure instinct, grabbing her master's arm and pulling him back.

"Master, something big is coming."

"Damn." Waver grimaced, his chest heaving far more than should have been the case for someone who'd merely engaged in a brisk walk. He stood straight and took a drag from his cigar. Gray watched him nervously. If a servant was approaching, why were they not running? Not that running would do them much good at this point. "Alright." He stated after a moment. "Whoever you are, I'm sure you're within range enough to hear me by now. Are you interested in speaking? If not, then let's get on with it."

A tall, blue-haired man in white robes shimmered into existence, perhaps a hundred feet away. His bright red eyes seemed to practically glow at them out of the gloom. Gray loosened the cage riding underneath her uniform.

"Are you going to fight me, lass?" The hero laughed, tapping his staff on the ground. "Have to say, Mr. Velvet. We've never met, but dressing up your assistant as a schoolgirl is a bit weird."

Waver put his hand on his hip and glowered. "Please. It's no good to act all prudish when I already know who you are, Caster. Do we get to meet to meet the illustrious master of Cu Chullain tonight?"

Gray sent her master a nervous look. Even a bumpkin like her knew of the Hound of Ulster.

"Ha! Man, you really don't miss a trick, do you?" Cu Chullain twirled a long wooden staff in his right hand, slamming it down on the ground next to him. "Unfortunately, no, I'm the only opponent that you're facing tonight."

Waver frowned deeply at that. "Shame that such a great hero ended up with such a coward of a master."

The hero smiled. "Hey, glad we could find some common ground." A rune flashed in the air before him. "Try to survive, alright?"

The schoolyard exploded with violence. The wave of fire from Cu Chullain's rune collided with a crash of lightning and for a few moments there was naught but wind and sound. Something irresistibly strong pulled on the back of Gray's shirt and suddenly she was moving furiously fast, charging straight through the flames.

The ground was lurching underneath Gray's feet. She reached out with her hand to steady herself and found a low wall of smooth wood. Rider must have saved us from the blast she realized. As suddenly as the chaos had begun, it stopped. She and her Master were with Rider in his massive, bull-drawn war chariot. Caster stood, facing them, their former positions reversed. The school grounds were a churned mess of asphalt and dirt.

"There you are, Rider." Caster's voice was highly amused. "I was wondering when you were going to stop feeling shy!"

Rider's massive grin split his face from side to side. "Shyness? Hardly. I merely wished to make a grander entrance!"

Master was getting up off of his knees. Rider sure likes to cut things close.

Caster stretched. "Yeah? Maybe if I had my chariot here, we could race."

"You're already fast enough, Caster. You're a rare magus indeed to be able to dodge my Gordius Wheel."

"Ha. If I had my original body, you'd really be impressed. Come for another pass and see how it goes for you."

Rider snorted. "And what would I gain by that? You've already shown that you can leap out of the way. It's too early in this game for me to commit anything more than that to this fight." He grinned. "Besides! Having seen your mettle, I will not be content until you join forces with me in glorious conquest of this Grail."

"Ah, now there's a tempting offer." Caster sighed. "But I have to decline. My master's a real pain, but I have to work with him, you know? Ah well, I can't really stop you from leaving anyway, so I guess this is goodbye for now." Caster's form shifted into light as he stepped away.

Rider cracked the reins they flew away into the night. Gray heard her master let out a massive sigh of relief. Rider chuckled in reply. "Thought I'd abandoned you?"

"More like, I thought that you'd misjudged the timing on your theatrics and gotten us all killed. Just be grateful that I didn't panic and use a command seal. We can't afford to waste any of those."

"I never feared for you for a moment." The group was silent for a moment as they moved through the air. "Do you two intend to return for reconnaissance?"

"I'll be fine for one more day at least." Master's dour expression deepened. "I need to look into things a bit further."

* * *

Waver Velvet clenched and unclenched his fist. There was nothing for it: the upcoming conversation was as unavoidable as it was undesirable. True, he had alternatives, but they were all inferior in some small way. He sighed and put his hand on the door handle.

The door swung open violently, nearly hitting him in the face. "Oh, Samite! I didn't see you there!" Waver ground his teeth. Her eyes were shut, not because of how hard she was smiling, but because she was intentionally shutting her eyes to look 'cute.' And Escardos always asked me why I hated the Japanese.

Taiga paid no heed to his discomfort. "You were just going to take lunch in the teacher's lounge, yes?" She rapped her knuckles on his briefcase. "Got some soup and rice? Or maybe some… sandwiches?" She giggled as the english word rolled off of her tongue. "Sad food for sad people! I am here to save you from dull food. I'm meeting a few of the other teachers for a quick bite at the Ramen shop across the street."

Waver paused for a moment. He had been planning on getting her alone and pumping her for information. "Oh, uh, yes, that sounds lovely. Lead the way, by all means."

On the way over, Taiga had built the place up to be the next best thing to heaven, but, well, his expectations were pretty much met. It was a perfectly normal food stand.

"So what's your real occupation, yeah?" Taiga blurted out as soon as they sat down. "You're way too cool and intense to actually just be a teacher. Are you a spy for MI-6? Or maybe you're actually independently wealthy and you just teach for fun." Her eyes flashed. "Or maybe you're with the mob!"

Taiga knew a hard man when she saw one. Her grandpa always had men coming around, licking his boots, pretending to be serious badasses, but she had seen through every one. Samite, though, was the real deal. The way he was looking right now, with that thousand-yard, glassy-eyed stare… Oh yeah, he was a top rank cool guy. Probably only a step or two below her and Kiritsugu. True, he didn't have lean hard muscle lining his body… although he might, she realized with a flash of lustful realization. Who was to say that the guy wasn't thoroughly shredded underneath all of those clothes? Actually, who knew what he looked like with his shirt off? Maybe he was hiding gang tattoos!

"I am a teacher, not much more than that." Waver replied simply. "I wanted to do something really big, but life has a way of frustrating your expectations." He paused. Why had he said that? As a rule, Waver did not speak of his difficulties regarding magecraft, and yet… He supposed that there was no harm in engaging the lady in conversation. She was thoroughly detached from his world. Showing her a bit of trust might actually be the smart move, here. "I'm still trying. It's always worth pursuing something even if it isn't possible."

Only a teacher? Taiga didn't believe that. This guy was probably like her, teacher by day, kendo master by night… or something. "Pff, well, no need to look down on being a teacher." Taiga groused. "It might not be your dream, but you must like it anyway. You're clearly a super cool guy, even if your dream job isn't available, you still had tons of options, right?"

Waver found himself chuckling dryly in spite of himself. "No, you've seen right through me. I'm not satisfied, but I can't really complain, either. What about you? You seem pretty carefree."

"Ha! I've got lots of concerns, you know. I'm not an old man like you, I'm twenty-two, and my future is uncertain. I need to find love! And then there's all my students to worry about." She cradled her face in her hands. "Mahh… It's amazing that I don't have any wrinkles."

"Actually, there was something I wanted to mention to you."

"WWHaaatt?" Taiga's face turned bright red. "It seems a bit quick for that sort of-"

Waver pressed on. "I think I saw a student getting picked on. Today's my last day, so I don't think that I can do much, but maybe you can. His name is Shirou Emiya. One of the students, that blue-haired kid you mentioned yesterday, was telling him to clean up a mess that he hadn't made, and he actually-"

"Oh, Shirou?" She laughed nervously, recovering from her near-panic a moment ago. "He's always getting taken advantage of, but there's nothing to do about it. He's a total doormat, and you'll never hear him complain. He needs to learn to stand up for himself, let other people take care of things once in awhile."

Waver nodded at that. "You know him well." He was not surprised. Taiga was the sort of person who tended to be the vector of social circles.

"Ha! Know him! After Kiritsugu passed I basically raised him." She put her hands on her hips and stuck out her chest. "Somebody had to do it, yeah?"

"That's… very sad, of course. Nonetheless… I'm curious how you ended up in such a position." His eyes hardened. "Tell me more."

* * *

"Hello, Sakura. Sorry I'm late, but I had to cover someone's shift at the store." Shirou hurriedly tied his apron as he entered the kitchen. "Do you have everything handled here?" They only had a short time period each day to get dinner done. Sakura was more than capable of making dinner, of course, but it was not fair to expect her to do everything.

Sakura was already hard at work, chopping vegetables for tonight's dinner. She smiled calmly at him as he entered. "It's alright, Senpai. Everything is well here. You should check your answering machine, though. Taiga's bringing a guest for dinner."

She's moved on from inviting herself, and now she's inviting other people as well? Shirou wondered at his 'big sister' sometimes. He did not mind making more food at all, but it bothered him when people were discourteous. He walked over to the phone and tapped the answering machine button.

"Shirou!" Taiga's voice roared at him. "I have a HOT DATE. There's this hot foreign substitute teacher. He's so… so COOL Shirou. He just… Oh, you'll have to see him! Well, anyway, I was bragging to him about how good my little brother's cooking was and he said that he'd love to see for himself sometime so HE'S COMING OVER Shirou. No pressure though! Just have the very best meal you've ever prepared! If he dumps me I'm blaming you! BYE~~."

Shirou sighed. What a poor role model for her students. He knew which teacher she was talking about, and he could easily see her falling for him. The man was tall, dark, and smelled of cigars. He did not have any classes with him, but Shinji had described him as 'A total hardass who always looks like he's got a belly full of sour wine.'

Maybe if she stopped going after 'tough guys' she wouldn't still be single. He frowned. That was an ungenerous thought, and besides, her family probably would scare off anyone else. Shinji was hardly the best character witness. Either way, there was no point in worrying about it and Shirou quickly set about finishing up dinner.

* * *

Waver had acquired a car for transportation at times where using Rider's chariot was inconvenient. As the war picked up, he and Rider had agreed that using the chariot exclusively was the best plan, but for now, the Cadillac was, very simply, more efficient and less likely to attract enemies. He pulled up to Taiga's house and walked up to her door.

 _You're actually going on a date with her?_ Gray had been incredulous when he had told her the plan. Given Gray's normal reticence, such a statement signaled that she had been thrown into a state bordering on total shock.

Rider's reaction had been as different as it had been predictable. _Excellent! I'm glad to see that you've grown to where you can appreciate a woman. Ten years have changed you much for the better._

Waver found both reactions to be insufferable. He had gone on dates, even before the last Grail War. None of them had led to anything, but the dates had occurred. In his youth he had been too stuck-up, and more recently he simply did not care enough to pursue anyone with energy. Theoretically, he knew that he had to get married; every magus had a responsibility to pass on their research, after all, even one as pathetic as him. He expected that at some point Reines would just marry him off to some noble lady, and he really did not give it any thought. "I'm using her, sure. The date is a farce that I doubt I will enjoy." he had replied, "Nonetheless, I did tell her that I would go to these places and do these things, and I take my word very seriously. I will go to the places promised and do the things promised, and so fulfill my minimum quota of decency for the week without too much effort."

"Hulllo, Samite!" Taiga burst from the door before Waver could properly knock on it. "What do you think of my outfit?" She stuck out her chest again and Waver glowered.

"You're wearing a jacket and capris instead of a dress. Very practical."

Waver was unsure if the sarcasm was wasted on Taiga or not, since she bypassed him and ran to the car, squealing. "You have a car! Oh car, you're beautiful! I will love driving you!"

"Sure." He tossed her the keys. "You know the area better than I do, anyway."

He had not properly sat down in the vehicle when Taiga pushed the gas pedal to the floor and the car took off like a rocket. Taiga wove in and out of traffic like a maniac, giggling all the time.

"Ahhh!" She cried. "Car, you're as beautiful as I knew you'd be!"

Waver just sighed as he was jerked bodily to the right. "It's uncomfortable for you to drive like this, you know."

"Hahahaha! But you can go so fast!" Taiga cheered as she changed three lanes at once.

Waver held onto the center console and dash in an attempt to stabilize himself. "It'll ruin the night if you get pulled over."

She turned to glare at him. "What, you think an officer is going to give a ticket to someone as cute as me? I drove like this all time before dad gave me my super cute Vespa."

Waver did not have a reply to that. He could have asked her to pull over, but that would have been pointless. She was having fun, and riding the chariot was worse. They arrived at the shopping district without incident in record time. His legs were somewhat unsteady when he stepped out of the car, but he was otherwise unharmed.

"Sooo Samite, what do you wanna shop for?" Taiga twirled as they walked down the street. "You're a man who likes his clothes, I can tell!" She gave an appreciative glance at his backside.

"My… family is very demanding when it comes to appearances. I find shopping to be tedious, so I have a tailor pick out everything for me." His lip quirked humorously. He found it funny that people were impressed with something he expended no effort on. Particularly when he was wearing something as silly as shiny vinyl pants.

The clock in the shopping district read 4:35. By his count, the 'date' had another two hours left in it, and he wondered what kind of utter inanity they would find to fill that time. At the moment his 'date' was hopping along in front of him, humming something and pounding the air with her hands. His eyes widened as he watched her hands move. The words spilled out of his mouth before he could stop himself. "You're air-playing the sequence to a Pop'n Music song!"

Taiga spun in place, fixing him with shocked astonishment. Waver felt a bead of sweat form on the side of his head. Had he really blurted that out in public? "What are you staring at me for? You were very transparently playing 'Lucifer' from Pop'n Music 6!" He groused. "Don't try and deny it, I have the home version! I'd recognize that shit anywhere!"

The shock in her eyes was replaced with manic glee. Waver swallowed.


	5. Chapter 4: Recruitment

CHAPTER 4:

* * *

"Hello! We're here!" Taiga traipsed into the dining room, her guest a few paces behind her like a huge, looming shadow. "Shirou, Sakura, this is Joohn Samite!" She said the name as though she was announcing a professional wrestler.

Samite, for his part, bowed respectfully. "Thank you for your hospitality. You are very welcoming, to let a stranger into your house on such short notice."

The meal went on from there as normal. Samite proved to be a very polite and knowledgeable guest, although he ate very little, which another host might have taken offense at. His Japanese vocabulary and grammar were impressive, but his pronunciation and diction were clearly unpracticed. Overall, Shirou found himself enjoying the company of the man.

Still, Shirou could not bring himself to trust the man. He was affable in the sense that he kept the conversation focused on others, which was pleasant, but it also meant that after several hours of eating, he hardly knew anything about the man. Nonetheless, Taiga seemed happy with him, which as far as Shirou was concerned meant that he had to be at least an ok sort of person.

"I understand that you were something of a phenomenon at archery?" Samite stated, partway through the meal. "Taiga was saying that the head of the club nearly lost her mind when you left."

"Ah, don't say that, it makes me feel all guilty. I was decent, but I never felt like I was getting better, so there was no point in practicing. The clubs are competitive, but the whole point is to learn things, right?"

"You were the best person there, Senpai." Sakura protested mildly. "Your form was almost perfect from day one."

Samite raised an eyebrow. "Remarkable. She is right, you know. There's no reason to sell yourself short if you are genuinely talented at something. Sakura," He added, as though a particularly brilliant thought had struck him. "Would you please pass me the rice?"

Shirou just shrugged. How could you feel proud of something you had never worked to accomplish?

After an hour or so, Sakura got up to leave for home at the usual time. Taiga and Samite got up to leave as well, but just as he was leaving, Samite turned to face him. "Shirou," he stated, as though we were carefully weighing his words. "I must escort Taiga home, of course, but I would be interested in speaking with you sometime regarding your repair work. The principal showed me some of you handiwork. I've some interest in the topic of maintenance, and your… technique intrigued me."

Shirou felt a cold shiver run up his spine. The man was a magus. There was no other explanation. If Samite had genuinely been a maintenance afficianado (if there was such a thing) he would have brought it up during dinner.

"I'm not in town for very long, so if possible, I would like to meet soon." Samite's eyes were full of implication.

Shirou shrugged. "Sure, you can stop by anytime. Come by after you say goodbye to Taiga?"

Taiga glared at him furiously. Shirou felt his face grow hot. "Or… or whenever."

Samite waved him off distractedly as he walked out. "I'll be back here in half an hour."

To say that Shirou was perturbed by this turn of events was to put it mildly. A magus? In Fuyuki? He had been nearly certain that he was the only one. No, this magus must have travelled to Fuyuki specifically to see him, unless there was something larger going on at the school that he did not know about. There had been reports of strange weather in the vicinity of the school, but surely there would be larger signs than that.

In the end, though, it seemed likely that Samite was non-hostile. He had not harmed Taiga or himself during the entire encounter. Contact with the larger world of Magi was something that Shirou was cautiously curious about. He knew that his skills were incomplete. Even if Magi would despise a spellcaster like him, he could maybe learn some useful things.

* * *

Taiga drove them back to her house, and he walked her to the door. "Ahh! I feel like we're just getting started!" Taiga exclaimed. "Why did you have to decide to go talk to Shirou about maintenance, yeah? It's going to be a real drag for him when you cancel!"

He raised an eyebrow. "I made that appointment because I figured our date would be over by then."

She whirled on him, her mind frozen with conflicting emotions. He was so cool, but… he was TOO cool. It was super attractive how he just took everything as it came, but come on, she was Taiga Fujimura! People did not simply take the Tiger of Fuyuki in stride! He acted a perfect gentleman, sure, but maybe he was just a dumb jerk. Actually, no, this is where the dumb jerk would be all over her, whereas this guy was just… rudely polite. Was this a British thing? She almost snorted. No way this guy was a typical Brit. More like... A typical robot assassin, sent from the future.

"Idiot," She punched him in the shoulder. "That's no way to treat a lady. You agreed to go on a date with me, and I'm the one who gets to say when it's over, got it?"

"So you just state rules and everyone's got to follow along? I bet that's nice."

"What? How rude can you get, yeah? You were all polite before, but now you're ditching me with some lame-ass excuse?" Taiga crossed her arms. It was lucky for this guy that he was so incredibly good-looking and cool and also so polite, otherwise she might have already walked out of his life and that would leave him sorry for sure.

Waver sighed. This was the part he had dreaded. This lady was a decent sort of person when you got down to it, and he had used her for his own ends. Well, he had taken her on a date and paid for arcade games and made sure that she had a good time. That was just the responsibility you took on when you asked someone out, after all, no matter what your reasons were. But he had gotten what he needed now, so continuing the facade would be no kindness.

He sighed. "Taiga, In my day-to-day life, I don't get many chances to just play video games with people or take fast car trips or have fun in general. So thanks for that. But once again, that's not my day-to-day life. I've got other commitments, and I couldn't keep up with you even if I wanted to. And that's it, really. I don't want to. The thing with Shirou… it's not an excuse. I have a genuine question for the guy, and I'm only calling things off here because this date has become pointless."

"You… You..." Taiga was at a loss for words. How could somebody so cool also be so incredibly lame? "You clearly are older than I thought if you're seriously that shriveled up on the inside." Her confidence building, she put her hands on her hips and smiled. No way was this guy going to get away with being so lame. "I don't know what it is you do that you don't have time for a date, but you have time to talk maintenance with a kid, but you need to make a change! But don't fear! I'm not going to let you off so easily. The arcades are still open, and you're going to have more fun yet today whether you want to or not!"

Oh, fuck being nice already, this was going nowhere. He was a magus, and this was ridiculous! He stooped down, looked into the windows of her soul, kissed her gently on the lips, and without a scrap of emotion, stated: "I'm getting into the car now and leaving. Let me know when the date's over."

He was halfway to his car by the time she realized what he was doing. Was it bad that he felt his lip twitch in a slight grin when she growled in frustration and stormed inside?

Waver stepped into the Cadillac and pulled away at a leisurely pace.

"I like her." Rider materialized in the back, a massive smile across her face.

"I assumed so, or else you would have left to do something else with your time."

Rider shrugged. "It's true. But what can I say, you two were amusing! You could learn a thing or two from her."

"Mmmhh." Waver couldn't help but smile at Rider's antics. "I wonder what it is you have in mind? Do you think that I should be more open and trusting? Or perhaps you think that I should exercise more?"

"No, no..." Rider chuckled. "I merely think that whatever life throws at that woman, she embraces it and enjoys it or detests it to her fullest capability, and places that spectacle for all the world to see!"

Waver frowned. "Well, you must be critiquing me on the second half, then. I have been called many things, but a man of excessive moderation was never one of them."

"Perhaps with some things. But so many other things you close yourself off from. You ate only sparingly of a feast fit for kings! You settled for a simple kiss from a woman who would have ravished you until the sun came up!"

"That woman is more trouble than she's worth." Waver replied sharply. "Besides, for us mere mortals, hedonism has limits. Isn't that what killed you?"

Rider clutched at his heart with one hand. "And I was not so hurt in that moment as I am now. Fortunately I discovered a remedy for such pains long ago!" He reached under the seat and produced a bottle of wine, which he immediately pressed to his lips.

When Gray entered the vehicle several minutes later, they were still in good spirits. Gray was surprised by how jovial her master had become during what should arguably a very stressful time for him. Perhaps she did not really know him that well after all? Her master was a very private man with many acquaintances and few friends. Indeed, she felt hard pressed to name anyone that she could safely say was a friend. Could it be that he felt at ease only in the company of a Heroic Spirit?

In any case, The jovial mood did not seem to abate as she climbed into the passenger's seat.

"...you think that she's such a fine lady, you are welcome to her." Her master's voice and face were those of a man heavily put upon, but Gray recognized the spark of humor in his eyes. "I know better than to stand in the way of the conquest of my king. Or should I conquer her heart on your behalf? I confess to not being aware of the customs of the Macedonians."

Rider snorted. "I'm hardly one who is given things, Waver. I am one who takes. If I desired her so much, she would already be mine, heart and soul, and you would have very little say in the matter." He stretched. "The same goes for anyone. Everything I want, I conquer, be it a country, a riddle, or a human heart. Your heart, or Gray's. Persia, or Egypt… anything I choose to set my will to becomes mine!"

Gray's ears reddened. This was not the sort of conversation she had expected between master and servant!

Waver seemed unperturbed. "Obviously, If you cared to have a bedmate you already would have one. The fact that you haven't means that you're in the same boat as I am." He choked out a short laugh. "Hell, I have negative interest in pursuing that woman, but if I was going to go after her I'd do it properly, not half-assed in the middle of a war zone. I'm sure you feel the same."

They passed the rest of the way to the Emiya residence in happy spirits. Gray always remembered her master speaking of the Grail war with a mix of loathing and fondness. She supposed this was the part he was fond of.

"So what is the plan?" Rider wondered aloud as they approached the low building.

"I would have expected you to take the lead on this, normally." Waver replied. "You're the master strategist, after all."

Rider shrugged. "Magi are not my area of expertise. Their hearts are cold and their interests are narrow."

Waver frowned. "I don't think that his bounded field does much of anything, really. It probably just wards off bad luck or detects ill intent or something like that. I'll ask if Gray can come in, and you can follow her. I don't think he has a servant yet; I saw the bruising on his wrist but not the command seals." He thought for a moment more, and then nodded. "He should not have any way of detecting your presence."

Gray could already taste the color of the strange boy's aura, just as tantalizing and faint as it was before. Master walked to the front of the building and knocked. The impossible boy opened the door, and her heart started racing. Now that she was prepared for it, the effect was much diminished, but even so it was like looking into a kaleidoscope of glass… or maybe it was more like have someone carve a picture into your teeth? The sensation was fascinating and uncomfortable, and she attempted to fortify herself with defensive meditation.

Presently, her Master waved her to follow him and so she did. The bounded field surrounding the ancient structure felt… unforced. The sensation was pleasant, even, as though it were a bubble against all the cares of the world. Rider was not far behind her, she knew, but the boy either did not notice or did not care, which meant that her Master had been right again.

Shirou locked eyes with this 'bodyguard' that the foreign magus wanted to bring in with him. He had not objected to her joining them inside, since with the way his bounded field worked, there really was no way he could deny them entrance anyway. She was… well, beautiful did not seem like the right word. She had beautiful features, but they only served to highlight her deeply unsettling appearance. Is this a familiar? He questioned. However, neither of them showed any ill intent and so he allowed them inside.

Shirou poured tea for both of them, and crouched down on the other side of the table. Shirou took a moment to appreciate the tea. If a fight broke out here, he was likely dead in any case, but nonetheless he kept a shinai within arm's reach.

"To begin with, you have no idea why I'm here, right?" the tall Magus took the lead in the conversation.

Shirou nodded. "You called me a magus, earlier, but that's not really true. My only guess is that you knew my dad somehow." His dad had been an international traveller and a magus. Presumably, he had hundreds of contacts.

The magus' expression intensified, and Shirou momentarily worried if he had said something wrong. "That's as good a lead-in as any. My real name is Lord El Melloi II, and I'm a magus from the Association. There's a ritual that occurs in this city periodically. It's called the Holy Grail War, or the Heaven's Feel Ritual. Your father and I were both participants in it last time, although we never met in person. It's large scale, and tends to be violent. The conceit is pretty simple. Seven magi, or 'masters' summon seven heroic spirits, or 'servants.' The spirits battle until only one remains, and then the ritual is completed and winners 'obtain the holy grail.' Ostensibly, the winning master and servant each get to make a wish. As it was originally conceived, it was an orderly collaboration between friendly magi. In practice, it is the most spectacularly violent ritual I have ever observed."

Shirou's eyes never left El Melloi's face. "So the last one was ten years ago, right?" The unknown cause of the Great Fuyuki Fire, his father's presence at the scene of the fire… it all smelled of some troublesome conspiracy on the part of magi. A ritual such as this El Melloi was describing present a perfect explanation.

El Melloi nodded. "Correct."

"How did you know that I was ignorant of the ritual?"

"The ritual wasn't scheduled to occur for another fifty years. Everyone was caught by surprise." A pained expression passed over El Melloi's face. "My theory was that your father would not want to make you feel as though this was something that you needed to spend your whole life preparing for. In his position, I would have left behind a note or something, telling you to leave the city in advance of the bloodshed." El Melloi considered his next words carefully. "That you were not in contact with any of the magi in this city was more of an educated guess. Magi are reclusive, particularly this far from the Clocktower. When you showed up to this meeting without backup, that confirmed my guess. "

"Other magi, in Fuyuki?" Shirou had always believed himself to be the only magus in Fuyuki since Kiritsugu died.

"Well, since you aren't really a magus yourself, you can't really call them 'other magi,' now can you? But yes, two of the families that created the ritual still live here."

Shirou paused, pulling his shoulders back uncomfortably in an attempt to hide the bruising on his right hand. "How do they pick the masters?"

"The ritual picks them." The magus displayed a winged sword tattooed in red on the back of his hand. "There's ways to cheat the system, of course, but generally people are chosen based off of their proximity to the ritual, their magical ability, and the intensity of their wish. So, I ask you, Shirou, is there a single thing you desire, more than anything in the world?"

Shirou frowned. If the ritual measured people by the earnestness of their desire… "Are you here to kill me then?" His hand drifted towards the shinai. "It's easy enough to guess what you mean when you say that the ritual gets pretty violent."

"Who do you think is harder to kill, a legendary hero, or a magus?" El Melloi paused. "It is a distasteful truth that killing all of the enemy masters is an effective strategy. It is not one that I intend to employ, but even if it was, the ritual would just pick someone in your stead. So in addition to being distasteful, there's no point."

Shirou relaxed and pointed his chin at the quiet girl at the end of the table. "Is she your heroic spirit?" She certainly did not look human.

"No!" The word was spoken with all the delicacy of a cannon shot. "She's his bodyguard." The largest man Shirou had even seen materialized out of thin air before him. A huge, rough face framed with angry red sideburns grinned down at him. "I'm the legendary hero here. You've heard of me, I'm sure. I am Iskander, King of Conquerors and in this Holy Grail War, I'm class Rider."

Shirou steadied his breathing and relaxed his grip on the shinai. "So what is it you want, then?" He wracked his brain for everything his father had told him about magi. It wasn't much, but none of it was favorable. "You're surely not here out of the goodness of your heart."

"Well, I will offer you some advice that's purely disinterested, I doubt you will take advantage of it. You're an outsider. This war is not yours, and you are not equipped for it. There's a supervisor to the war. He's incredibly untrustworthy, but you can go to him and opt out of the ritual."

"That's unacceptable." Shirou stated. "Magi aren't the only people at risk in this ritual. I was a bystander last time, and my birth family was killed along with hundreds of other people. What kind of person would I be if I turned my back on this whole process?"

"And what if you die, saving no one?"

Shirou shrugged. "Everyone dies someday. If I died without ever risking myself for others, I'd regret that."

"Ah, you're the kind of magus I like." Rider leaned heavily on the low table. "Come on then. You wish to prevent a needless loss of life? Excellent! As it happens, my master is not evil. We have already settled upon a strategy designed to minimize the loss of life; let us help you summon a servant, parlay with him, and together win the Holy Grail!"

Shirou blinked. It was an incredibly tempting offer. He knew barely anything about how this grail was going to work, and these foreigners seemed so far to be forthright. However… "What is your wish for the grail, El Melloi?"

"-It's El Melloi II actually, my predecessor died in the last Grail War." El Melloi adjusted his collar. "I actually don't anticipate that I will get to make a wish. No wish has been made in the past four wars. I'm here on behalf of my house and the mage association. My wish… well, it wouldn't be terribly interesting to you. Suffice to say that I wish to clear some debts and fulfil some obligations of mine. I don't know, do you have a wish for the grail?" He paused again. "I would be willing to consider letting you have it outright… with certain conditions."

Shirou shook his head. "You said that the grail picks people based off of the intensity of their wish. I don't have a wish for the grail, but I do have something I want to accomplish." He thought about his wording a moment. "It's so weird to say it out loud, but… I want to be a hero of justice. I'm totally committed to this goal, but truthfully the grail has no interest for me. He locked eyes with the giant.

"What about you, Iskander?"

"I want nothing but a second chance." The giant rumbled. "I died before I could complete my dream in the last life… I would ask the Grail for a second life, that I might once again try to conquer the world!"

Shirou blanched.

Rider laughed. "Do you want to save lives, boy? How many petty, pointless struggles cover this world? One nation takes a strip of land, and another takes it back, with thousands dying. I would end them, all at once. Saving human lives is not my goal, but I will save more in my dream than you ever could in yours!" Rider held up one huge hand as though he held the world within his grasp. "Your dream is encapsulated in mine."

Shirou's heart leapt in his chest at Iskander's words. To stop all wars everywhere? It was something that was above and beyond what he had ever even conceived of. And yet... would he doom hundreds of thousands to save millions? How was he even supposed to evaluate loss of life on the order of magnitude? And then too, there was no guarantee that Iskander would succeed. No, more than likely, they would wage some great war, thousands would die, and like before he would fall short. Frankly, at this point in history, with nuclear weaponry, was conquest on such a scale even practical?

He sighed. "No. I can't sign up for that. Sorry. You seem like a good person El Melloi, but I will have to find my own way."

El Melloi frowned. "Then we shall part ways. When we next meet we will likely be enemies."

"Hold on." Shirou held up a hand. "There's still something to cover here."

El Melloi raised an eyebrow. "It is not in my best interest to give you information, Shirou."

"This isn't about the Grail War. This is about Taiga. You used her to get a look at me, right?"

"Ha!" Rider barked. "The kid's got his priorities straight at least."

Waver nodded. "I have no intention of contacting her again, nor do I intend to use her as leverage over you."

"So long as we're clear."

They parted ways shortly thereafter.

Waver, Rider, and Gray piled back into the Cadillac, Rider taking the driver's seat this time. Surprisingly, Gray was the first to speak. "He's getting easier to look at."

Waver took a full second to ponder the import of that particular declaration. "It's unfortunate that he did not agree to work with us."

Rider shrugged. "I like his attitude, but I can recruit him after I defeat him. The boy barely knows anything, surely you don't think that he's a threat?"

"Unfortunately, I do." Waver lit a cigar. "He's a spellcaster and a country bumpkin, to be sure. But consider: he was raised and trained by a professional killer, he's got some kind of bizarre origin that's fucking with Gray's senses, and he's supremely confident in his ability to fight in the war. His bounded field is childishly simple, but it's functionally perfect if you're confident that they only way you'll lose is to a surprise attack. I hope you didn't miss that part about him and archery." He paused to take a drag on his cigar.

Rider grinned at him. "So, the Grail War begins in earnest soon, yes? All the masters are accounted for?"

Waver smiled. "All that remains to be seen, is who will make the first move."


	6. Chapter 5: The Unruly Student

CHAPTER 5:

* * *

As an old man and a head of a powerful group of Yakuza, Raiga Fujimura pretty much did whatever he wanted these days. Today, he was reading the newspaper and while sitting on his porch in a tiger-print bathrobe. Out of the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of something red, and he immediately began folding his paper.

"Shirou Emiya!" He exclaimed happily. "I hadn't expected to see you!"

He had taken an interest in Shirou years ago as a favor to Kiritsugu, an old friend of his. In many respects he was the boy's guardian, managing the estate of Kiritsugu until the boy was old enough to do it himself. Raiga liked the boy, and he had put a lot more effort into the kid than Kiritsugu had required.

Shirou just smiled quietly at the man's friendliness. "Hello, Mr. Fujimura, I know that… this visit is unexpected."

"Not unpleasant, though." Raiga set down his folded paper down on the coffee table and gestured for Shirou to sit. "What's eating ya, kid? Did my darling granddaughter break something again?" Shirou did not come by unnanounced all that often, but when he did it was usually something to do with his granddaughter, Taiga.

"No, Taiga's been… fine, lately." Shirou sat down, and seemed to consider his words carefully. "It's something from my dad's past. Some… people from back then are in town. They're causing trouble. I don't think I can stay uninvolved."

Raiga lifted an eyebrow at that. "Damn." He had not known Kiritsugu's past that well, but it seemed safe to say that it had been what could charitably be called 'colorful.' "It goes without saying," Raiga stated, "But I'm guessing that you don't want the Fujimura group's help on this?"

Shirou shook his head. "It's not that I wouldn't take your help for something like this. The stakes are high enough, it's just that..."

"We would make things worse."

Shirou looked at him in surprise. "Yes, exactly that."

"Not my first time around this block, kid. But why are you here then?"

Shirou rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, I was hoping that my dad had left something behind that might be useful… I'm kind of grasping at straws here, and I figured that if he had... Well, it would either have to be you or Ryuudo. You were his closest friends."

"And you came to me first, because whatever you need right now is almost certainly illegal!" Raiga laughed. Shirou did not. Raiga hopped out of his seat. "Well, only one thing to do then. Kubo!" He called to a man wearing a suitcoat near the bushes. "Get the crate out of the back room! Kid here needs to go through his dad's goody bag."

The life bled out from the young man's eyes as he sank to the ground. He was a salaryman, newly out of school and successful. Working late, he had encountered a beautiful woman… he had been unable to help staring at her. She had turned to look at him… and then… and then…

The hero of class Lancer pulled her teeth from the man's neck, wiping the blood from her mouth on the sleeve of the black cloak she wore over her dress.

Shinji Matou, standing a few feet away, smiled. He was no sadist, at least not in the pure sense. He derived no pleasure from the pain he was inflicting here. No, Shinji was not smiling because the man in front of him was dying. He was smiling because he was getting what he wanted.

He always did get what he wanted, eventually. When you were a real-life super genius, it was just a matter of time. Girls, accolades, resources, whatever it was, he could find an angle. And that was the trick, remembering that the angle was there. A lot of people would have looked at his current situation and mocked him. What did he hope to accomplish here, fighting a war between mages as a kid with absolutely no mana at all?

He hoped nothing. He planned on winning the damn thing, if only because he was sick of his father and mother and grandfather and sister and everyone looking down on him. He had always been the unfavorite, the disappointment. After he achieved something that the entirety of his family had failed at for generations, they'd be forced to admit what he had known all along: that he was better than them all in every way.

Hunting people down like this and draining them was tedious and slightly risky, but Shinji had done his homework. Lancer would eventually be able to use her Noble Phantasm to drain the whole school. When that happened they could do whatever they pleased, but in the meantime they were extremely vulnerable. Hiding away until the Noble Phantasm was completed would not guarantee safety. They had contended with Caster already, and it was clear that for a servant, Lancer was pretty weak even in front-line combat, her supposed specialty. Caster should have had to run from them, not the other way around!

Suddenly, his servant was directly beside him, alert and on the defensive. "What the hell are you still doing here, Lancer?" He groused. "You're supposed to be hunting."

She simply pointed.

Walking toward them was a woman in a crisp suit and tie. A clear foreigner, given her short-cropped magenta hair. Her face was gray, and murder was in her eyes. The sleeve of her suit had been torn off at the elbow, and her bared arm gleamed in the moonlight. Shinji clenched his teeth. Whether this was a master or a servant coming for them, the reaction had to be the same.

"Oh! You must be a fellow participant in this war!" Shinji called out. "Want to team up?" The woman ignored him, continuing towards him.

In a few seconds she would be on top of them. "Lancer." He commanded. "Teach the bitch some manners."

Lancer rushed her enemy, her scythe snaking out with a deadly thirst. Lancer had access to pitiful reserves of mana at the moment, but she spared a little to enhance her strength, striking as quickly as she was capable of in her reduced state. A protracted fight would be a disaster.

Her fastest was too slow. The woman ducked past her scythe, slamming her with a punch that Lancer could only barely dodge, even with her enhanced strength. She blocked the next hit with the haft of her scythe but was still thrown off her feet by the raw force of the punch. How was this woman so strong? The woman's foot came down and Lancer rolled into a crouch a few feet away. The concrete she had been lying on moments ago was pulverized.

Lancer briefly noted that the woman's metallic arm had begun glowing dimly, and then a force like a truck full of bricks slammed into her, throwing her a hundred feet back into a lamppost.

Shinji cursed. What had even hit Lancer? He had not been able to see it! One second she was performing pitifully, and the next she was...

He did not have time to worry about that. The woman had resumed her approach. His hand went straight for his pocket and drew out a weapon, but before he could do anything with it, the woman had closed with him and twisted his arm, weapon and all, behind his back. Shinji fell to his knees with a scream, bracing himself for a killing blow.

When the killing blow did not come, he smiled. The hand twisted behind his back exploded as a dozen massive vipers surged from it, latching onto the woman and forcing her back. She moved with mechanical precision, killing one after another, but even so she was quickly entangled. Shinji, still smirking, stood, and waved his hand again. The snakes changed into chains, binding his opponent completely.

Shinji laughed aloud as he stood. His 'weapon' had been a dozen long strands of purple hair from the head of his servant. His servant was a manifestation of the myth of Medusa. As such, her hairs could be the hairs of Medusa when she was a goddess, the snakes that had been atop the head of her monstrous form, or the chains associated with her weapon of choice. Changing them from one to the other required only a thought on behalf of his servant.

"Thought that I'd be easy prey, did you?" He called out. Lancer moved in for the kill.

A soft voice whispered into Shinji's ear. "Stop her before she does something foolish, dear." He felt the cold steel of a dagger touch his throat.

"STOP!" Shinji wailed, and Lancer halted, her scythe inches from taking off the woman's head. "What… Whatever you do, don't..." Oh shit, the first lady had been wearing modern clothes, which meant that if this was a master/servant team, the lady who had a knife to his throat was probably a Servant. "Don't kill her, Lancer."

The soft voice in his ear laughed softly. A bead of sweat trickled down the side of his head. Something was behind him, threatening to kill him, and he could not turn around to look at her. He could not…

Lancer was the first one to speak. "It looks like we're at an impasse."

The soft cold voice chuckled. "Hardly. I like my little puppet, and losing my master again would be a pain, but she's far from irreplaceable."

Lancer smirked. "That's not my master."

That piece of… Shinji swallowed the curse in his throat, blinking tears out of his eyes. Lancer was making the right play here, he knew, but shit, he could not let insolence like this go unpunished. As soon as they were free from this...

The voice behind him laughed aloud now. "A fine attempt at a bluff, but I think that I'll check for myself." Shinji let out a cry of surprise as something stabbed into his back, and felt immediately embarrassed, since the stab had really been more of a pin prick.

The voice from behind him spoke again, but this time it was filled with rage and distress. "How? Why are you..."

Shinji took a deep breath. He had found his angle."Why is she taking orders from me? I'll tell you, sweetheart, but first, why don't you let me go?"

"Oh, but that's not fair..." Shinji felt the servant's body press up against his back as she pulled him closer. "Lancer might not be your servant, but she'll follow your orders, right? Tell her to let my dear little master go, or else I'll cut your throat right now."

Shinji grit his teeth. Shit, shit shit shit! There had to be a way out of this. A bead of blood dripped down onto his collarbone. "Lancer! release the woman, dammit!"

Lancer was unmoved. "He doesn't have command seals, Assassin, and I can clearly see that he's dead if I listen to him."

Shinji growled. This Lancer bitch was really getting on his nerves. "Look, lady," He had meant to sound like he was talking tough, but his voice cracking got in the way of that. "Neither one of us wants to lose something important at this stage of the game, yeah? So you let me go, and Lancer lets punch-lady go, and we discuss this like civilized people."

After a moment's deliberation, the steel against his neck disappeared and Shinji stumbled forward. Lancer wordlessly removed her scythe from the woman's neck. The restrained woman grunted, flexed, and with a few moment's effort broke the chains binding her. Shinji winced. What the hell was up with her, anyway?

He turned to see Assassin, and smiled. She was cute. There was no other word for her. Pointy little elf-ears poked out from short blue hair. She looked like she was Shinji's age, wearing a dress that wouldn't have been out of place at a fancy dinner. In one hand she bore a translucent ritual dagger that was dripping with blood. In the other hand she held a simple steel blade.

If he was being honest, servants scared him. But this was a girl, and he could smooth-talk those into doing anything. "Isn't this better? I'm the one who's in charge of Lancer here, but I got a… well, I guess you could say that I've got a mana cow. I don't want to inhibit my abilities as a magus, see, so I have a subordinate who is providing the mana for Lancer. They'll both follow my orders, but I'm not technically a master in this war.."

"Mmm..." The girl shifted her weight and Shinji followed her movement with an appreciative gaze. "So that's why my Rule Breaker didn't work on you?" She sighed. "It's a serious problem. I'm servant Assasin, you see, so I'm not much good in frontline confrontations. I had hoped that your Lancer might be useful in that regard, but she's clearly weak." Assassin seemed to consider the situation for a moment. "I can leave here easily enough. There's not much you can do to stop me. But I don't want to have too many people coming after me; and I'm guessing that you don't want to spend the rest of this war looking over your shoulder... Say we call a truce for the future?"

Shinji crossed his arms. He wanted… no he needed to get this chick and her insane master onto his side. Sure, he could not trust either of them, but what the hell? She was a chick, he could keep her in line. And he did need some help if he wanted to be sure that he could get the blood-fort up. "I can do you one better. We're both underdogs in this war, right? Why not team up? I've got a plan that will make us unstoppable, but… well, I need time for that plan to materialize. So if you provide security for me… we'll kill one of the other servants, your choice, before we go back to trying to kill each other." He was planning on killing all of the other servants eventually anyway; it was not like this kind of promise actually cost him anything.

Lancer frowned. "Master..."

"Shut up, Servant. You're clearly not strong enough to keep me safe, so I have to outsource."

Assassin seemed to be considering the offer for a moment. "I… think I can do that." She leaned forward until her eyes were nearly at a level with Shinji's. "Any further... exchange of services will have to be discussed later, of course.."

"Oh, good then." Shinji stretched. "I'm tired and all, you know? We're setting up the ritual at Homurahara Academy. Keep watch over there for the next few days, and we'll fulfill our end of the bargain."

Assassin bowed gracefully, and Shinji had to suppress a giggle. He now had four women bending over backward to help him win this grail war. There was always an angle to play, and he always knew how to find it.

* * *

Gray thought that wherever her Master's new base was, it was going to be a rather nice change of pace. They were currently somewhere deep underneath Fuyuki City, walking through some kind of massive sewer network. No, sewer tunnels could never be this large. These had to be special anti-flood storm drains. Why else would you build a tunnel five meters high underneath your city?

The air shifted. Clearly they had come to a large open area of some kind. There was the sound of a switch being flipped, and suddenly Gray was blinded as some high-power lights came on.

"It's not much." Waver stated. "But it's as secure as I could make it with only a few days."

They stood in some kind of massive chamber underneath the city. The ground was dry underfoot and massive pillars supported a roof that was a dozen meters or more in the air. On one wall, extension cords had been run out to support a television, fridge, and gaming system. Several threadbare chairs, beds, and a couch had been arranged carelessly in the general area around the TV.

"Ihihi! It's pretty dingy residence for a king to hold court in!" The high, nasal voice emanated from underneath Gray's cloak, and she winced as the two men turned to look at her. Add could be considered her oldest companion, she supposed, but the sentient mystic code was not a pleasant conversationalist.

"Yeah, well… Welcome to Chateau El Melloi, Add." Waver commented, flopping onto the threadbare couch. "Anything you'd care for me to bring in, Rider?"

"I'll make a shopping trip during the day." Rider stated, sitting back in an ancient armchair and sighing heavily. He opened one eye and fixed it upon the game system. "What kinds of games do you have?"

"The whole collection from back home. It's idiotic, but I'll have more time to play them during the Grail War than I typically do back home. Here, take a controller. Let's see what you make of Soul Calibur."

Gray just stood there for a moment, uneasy. It seemed like questioning her Master and Rider at this point would be the height of arrogance, but... "Maahh… Don't either of you have any kind of planning you should be doing?"

Her master just laughed. "Last time I went through this, I made 12 binders full of 'battle plans,' I used not a single one. This time I've left the planning to the experts. Rider, you've already a plan for tonight, right?"

Rider flicked through the character select. "Oh, well. I suppose we'll have to attack that priest."


	7. Chapter 6: Accusation

CHAPTER 6:

 _If you are reading this, things have turned out much worse than I had anticipated and someone from my old life is causing trouble for you. Suffice to say that my life before I met you was one in which I made a lot of enemies. In this crate, I leave you all of my weapons, supplies, and magical knowledge, in addition to a short list of all of the families that I think most likely to come after you._

 _...The Einzberns are an old magus family from Germany. I contracted with them for ten years. I even fell in love with, was married to, and had a daughter with a woman from their family. I am sorry for never explaining my many trips to you Shirou, but many of them were for her, attempting to gain custody of her. The reason for their hatred of me is simple: they contracted my help with a problem, and I ended up working against them._

 _I lost my wife, my oldest companion, and most of my own lifespan in an attempt to complete a ritual in Fuyuki City on behalf of the Einzberns. Ultimately, I realized what it was they were trying to do, and the least morally wrong option was to destroy their ritual, a fact for which they have never forgiven me. The great Fuyuki fire resulted from the destruction of the ritual. This was the preferable option to the alternative, but... I am responsible for the death of your birth family as well as hundreds of others… I would tell you this while I live, but you live in peace and happiness, and it would be selfish of me to disturb that out of some desire for absolution. I only tell you this here, so that in the event that the Einzberns do come for you, you will properly appreciate what they are capable of._

 _The Einzbern Homunculi are deadly combats, they can be identified by their red eyes and…._

Shirou laid down the notebook and sighed. He had been hoping for more details about the ritual itself. The notebook of general magical knowledge had some useful information like the ritual for summoning a servant, as well as general information about Heroic Spirits. The notebook of 'possible threats,' though, was useless except for the Einzbern entry. Kiritsugu had clearly thought that his sabotage of the ritual would prevent it ever happening again. Shirou grimaced. Well, at least he now knew the five best approaches to killing an Einzbern Homunculus. Considering that his father had been married to one, Shirou could not help but be slightly disturbed by the prospect.

It was patently clear that he had never really known his father that well. The man's notes suggested aggressive, brutal strategies for dealing with all of his potential enemies. The means for those ends took the form of enough firepower to level a building. The notes seemed to anticipate what Shirou's reaction would be, and apologized for the apparent coldness of the writing, but did nothing to explain how Kiritsugu could be so cold. If this was a man who, like Shirou, had only found joy in saving people… what sort of savior must he have been?

And the idea that the man had a daughter… A daughter a few years younger than him, probably. He simply could not decide how to feel about that. Happy, that his father had good reasons for those long absences from home? Upset, that his father had cared more about a daughter that he could not reach than the son he had at home? Still, Shirou could not begrudge his father those trips… If he had known their purpose, he would have agreed with his father's intent.

He palmed the knife into the air and caught it in a reverse grip, testing the air with a few experimental cuts. Shirou would use this, at least. Blades had long been a fixation of his, and the knife seemed to be of exceptional quality. The rest… Shirou picked up the massive pistol. It was far and away the most valuable magical artifact he had ever held, a real life mystic code, and one that he could likely use to devastating effect. He holstered it, pulling the edge of his shirt over the handle to obscure it from view.

He anticipated that he'd be able to use both the sniper rifle and the submachine gun effectively. Simply put, ranged weapons of any kind had always been trivial for him to master. He had discovered this while hunting with Raiga back in the day, and had confirmed it during his brief tenure in the archery club. He laid the SMG and a shinai into his gym bag and zipped it up. The rifle could be useful, but the only way he could justify the use of such a weapon would be against a monster who would certainly cause more death if left alone. Since he knew of no such monster, carrying the rifle around everywhere seemed patently foolish.

"Master, your guests are well clear of the area. Do we move out soon?" His servant's voice was collected as ever as she walked into the room, but she paused with uncertainty as soon as she saw the box of weapons laid out around Shirou.

He stood and beheld her for a moment. Radiant and pure, just looking at her filled him with a hope that his dreams of heroism were perhaps not so far away. It was strange, almost sacrilegious to think that even magecraft like his could summon such a being. "I think we're as ready as we are likely to be." He stated. "I think the best way to start out is to go and talk to this priest. He can hopefully give us some useful information. Does that seem wise to you?"

Saber simply nodded. "As you wish. I will accompany you to the church and wait outside while you speak with him."

"Yes..." He tipped his chin down as he spoke. "Before we do that though. Did you hear what Taiga was saying?"

"Her lover had abandoned her and she was distressed. I gathered from context that this was a common occurrence."

"Well, yes, only..." Shirou sighed. "The guy she was dating was a magus, although she didn't know it. He's one of our enemies, a guy named El Melloi, a veteran of the last war." Saber stiffened momentarily. "So his relationship with her was a front to begin with. Anyway, he had this girl with him. She looked about your age, height… and although her coloration was different, she had your face." He hoped that he was not leaping to conclusions. Did the faces only look the same to him because he did not know how to distinguish one English female from another?

Saber frowned deeply. "That is strange. But when magi are involved, similar appearance could mean anything at all, or nothing. We will address them when they appear. Fear is the enemy."

"Fair enough." Shirou replied. "But you'll understand, since I don't know your identity, it could have been something specific from your legend. Anyway." He slung the gym bag over his shoulder. "Let's go see that priest."

* * *

"I thought we were attacking him?" Gray questioned as they touched down a few blocks from the church. Not that she would mind skipping a fight just now. Her head ached furiously, her stomach was lurching at every turn, and a weariness had settled into her bones. To think that she would get sick at a time like this, when her master needed her more than ever!

Rider simply chuckled. "We'd be very bad contestants if our first action in this war was to assassinate the church supervisor."

"So we're going to have a nice conversation with him instead." Her master stated as he jumped off the chariot. Gray followed him. If her master had a plan, that was sufficient.

A wave of nausea swept over her as she set foot on the ground, but she pushed it back and followed her master along the narrow road that led to the church. Truly, it was less of a church and more of a chapel. Despite the beauty of its architecture, the building was not large and had no supporting structure beyond the sanctuary itself.

The color of the place stank. Something, no, many things had died here and putrefied, like a swamp filled with pollutants that prevented even the carrion from living. The beauty of the surrounding forest juxtaposed against the toxicity of the church induced a sense akin to vertigo. This place was evil. In the context of Gray's experience as a gravekeeper and as an initiate of the Clocktower, she did not use the word lightly.

The church, perhaps predictably, was empty except for the priest himself. "I had not expected you," he stated as they entered. "I observed your fight with Caster, but you did not make yourself known to me. I am surprised to see that a man could come out of a bloody war like the last one and decide to return."

"To be a magus is to walk with death, Kotomine. Although you've turned from the path of the magus, I think you understand my reasons for joining this war again better than most. After all, you are holding down the position that killed your father."

"Yes…" Kotomine appeared to consider this a moment. "I suppose you mean to say that duty is not something that can be avoided, simply because it is dangerous? Strange that you would think of the Grail War as a duty."

"There are several duties I fulfil by joining the war." Her master stated the fact almost wearily. "But it is danger that brings me here today. The servant Caster has set up his territory a mere mile from here."

"Has he?" Kotomine raised both eyebrows in surprise. "I thank you for the warning." He paused. "What makes you so sure of this?"

"Magical residue in the vicinity indicates an exceedingly accomplished rune user. Additionally, this field originated within the last week based off of the degradation level of the residue. Any magus willing to do the footwork could verify this." He coughed. "It's an unremarkable forest, so most wouldn't look there, but I had reason to suspect that area."

Kotomine was standing with his arms crossed, looking deeply suspicious. For her part, Gray was confused. How was her master making claims about the magical residue? They had not had time to collect samples. Was this… Yes, this must be a bluff.

Her Master continued, having stepped into his persona as a lecturer. "The enforcer Bazett Fraga McRemitz and I were not well acquainted. We interacted exactly once shortly after she joined the Clocktower, when she asked me about my experience in the Holy Grail War. She expressed an intense desire to fight alongside the legendary hero Cu Chullain. Since the Caster of this war is Cu Chullain, it is self-evident that she succeeded."

"However, she was not fighting alongside her hero as she claimed to have desired. Moreover, Caster affirmed my assertion that his master was a coward. So I concluded that she must've had her servant taken from her. The person who accomplished this had to be a magus living in Fuyuki who desired to fight in the Grail War, had no servant of their own, had the skill to take down an Enforcer, and knew that she was even fighting in the Grail War in the first place."

"You're accusing me of stealing the servant of this Bazett?" Kirei's voice was genial, but incredulous. "She came as a part of the Association. There are hundreds of people who could have betrayed her."

Waver lit a cigar and gave it an experimental puff. "I actually thought it might be Atrum, at first. But he's dead and his workshop is torched."

He looked the priest dead in the eyes. "Kotomine, you're the only other survivor of the 4th war, so it is only natural that I researched your history extensively. Bazett was a name on the rather short list of your list of known associates. You recommended her as a candidate for this war, and her peers among the enforcers named you as a close friend of hers. In other words, you were her closest friend in the city. Likely, you are the only person here around whom she would drop her guard."

The priest frowned. "Bazett is a good friend… was a good friend, I suppose. It is difficult to stand here and listen to such accusations. I'll concede that you've compiled a fair amount of completely circumstantial evidence. It wouldn't convince most people, but then, I suppose that the only person you had to convince was yourself. Do you mean to kill me, or blackmail me?"

"Neither. This is a mission of mercy. Leave the Grail War now, or I will destroy you. You're already aware that my servant is trashing your servant's workshop. Rider's magic resistance and speed makes him a nightmare for your servant, even within his workshop." Waver glowered. "Be happy that I'm allowing you this much grace. "

Kotomine made a shooing motion with his hand. "Leave. I have no interest in watching you posture anymore."

Her master bowed and turned to leave, catching Gray with a sidelong glance and nodding slightly.

Gray whirled on her feet, unleashing Add from beneath her cloak in one smooth motion, whipping the materializing scythe up to defend against the blow that she knew was coming. His fist rang against the haft of her scythe, throwing her backwards with stunning force.

Her master was running already, but Kirei spun on his heel and rocketed after him.

Kotomine was fast. An expert in martial arts, a magus of reasonable talent, and an Executor of the church specializing in the assassination of mages, Kirei had very nearly reached the pinnacle of human achievement when it came to physical ability. Even with a few moments head start, her master had never stood a chance of escaping such a man.

Kotomine was fast. Gray was faster. Her scythe arced out like a snake and the priest had to throw himself into a roll to avoid being decapitated. She vaulted over him so that she was between him and her master again, and swept her scythe upwards. The priest backflipped out of the way and drew up his fists, smiling. "I had heard you were good," He commented, smiling, "But I had no idea little Waver had stumbled upon such a useful tool."

Gray frowned at that. A tool? She… She was useful, she supposed. But to act as though she was some extension of her master's' will… "I fight of my own volition. I volunteered for this."

Kotomine smiled indulgently. "I'm sure you did."


End file.
